Hyderabad, May 20, 2026 : Vascular Health: An aortic aneurysm grows in silence, shows no
symptoms, and kills within minutes when it ruptures. A Hyderabad vascular
surgeon is calling for greater public awareness of a condition that remains
dangerously under-screened across India.
“When
a patient in their fifties comes in with a ruptured aortic aneurysm, you are
not treating a medical emergency - you are managing a catastrophe,” says Dr.
Bhavin L. Ram, Consultant Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon at Yashoda
Hospitals, Hitec City, Hyderabad. “The tragedy is that in most of these cases,
a simple ultrasound scan done earlier would have given us time to act.”
Globally, aortic aneurysms are responsible for
an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 deaths every year1 - a toll experts
say is disproportionately high given that the condition is both detectable and
treatable. In India, the problem is compounded by low awareness, minimal
screening culture, and a tendency to dismiss vague abdominal or back pain until
it is too late.
What the Body Keeps
Hidden
The aorta is the body’s largest artery,
running from the heart through the chest and abdomen. An aortic aneurysm occurs
when a section of the arterial wall weakens and balloons outward - producing no
pain, no symptoms, and no warning.2 The two most common forms are
the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) and the Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (TAA).
When either rupture, it causes catastrophic internal bleeding. Research shows
ruptured AAA carries an overall mortality rate of 65 to 85 per cent, including
patients who never reach hospital.3
“The dangerous thing about an aortic aneurysm
is its silence. Patients feel nothing until rupture - and when it does, the
window to save a life is measured in minutes, not hours.” -
Dr. Bhavin L. Ram
Who Is Most at Risk
Men over 65 face a prevalence of four to eight
per cent and are four to six times more likely than women to develop AAA4
- yet women, when affected, face a three to four times higher rupture risk at
the same aneurysm size, largely because they are under-screened.5
Smoking accounts for approximately 75 per cent of all AAA cases; smokers are
seven to eight times more likely to develop an aneurysm.6
Hypertension is present in more than 60 per cent of AAA patients and
independently drives both growth and rupture risk.7 A family history
of aortic aneurysm raises individual risk two to four times.8
The Case for Screening
- and Modern Treatment
The most powerful number in this field is the gap in outcomes between planned and emergency treatment. Elective repair of an unruptured aneurysm carries a surgical mortality risk of less than one to two per cent in experienced centres.9 Emergency repair of a ruptured aneurysm carries a mortality risk of 40 to 50 per cent - for those who reach the operating table at all.3 A simple abdominal ultrasound - non-invasive, painless, and widely available across India - is sufficient to detect most aneurysms before they reach a dangerous size.10
Stent-graft
device design (A), post-EVAR CT reconstruction showing bifurcated stent-graft
in situ (B), and anatomical illustration of deployed stent-graft excluding the
aneurysm sac (C).
Image
credit: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research ©Mayo Clinic, 2016
For patients detected in time, Endovascular
Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) has fundamentally changed what treatment looks like.
A precision stent-graft is guided through a small groin puncture - no open
incision, no prolonged anaesthesia. Once deployed, it creates a reinforced
channel for blood flow and eliminates rupture risk. Clinical trials confirm
EVAR reduces 30-day operative mortality by more than 60 per cent compared to
open surgery.9,11 Most patients go home within two to three days.
“A planned procedure versus a race against
death in an emergency theatre. That gap - between one per cent and fifty per
cent - is the most powerful argument for screening.” -
Dr. Bhavin L. Ram
Five Things the People
Must Know
●
Screen early. If
you are a man over 65, a smoker, or have a close relative with an aortic
aneurysm, ask your doctor about a screening abdominal ultrasound.
●
Control blood pressure. Uncontrolled
hypertension is one of the most significant drivers of aneurysm growth and
rupture.
●
Stop smoking. Tobacco
causes cumulative structural damage to arterial walls; quitting at any age
reduces risk.
●
Do not ignore persistent pain. A
deep, persistent abdominal or back pain should not be dismissed - in some cases
it signals an expanding aneurysm.
●
Act immediately. A
sudden tearing pain in the chest, abdomen, or back is a medical emergency. Call
for help without delay.
About the Expert
Dr.
Bhavin L. Ram (MS, DNB - Vascular Surgery) is a Consultant
Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon at Yashoda Hospitals, Hitec City, Hyderabad,
with over 14 years of clinical experience. He has presented research at the
Society for Vascular Surgery Annual Meeting (Chicago) and the Charing Cross
Symposium (London), and has published in the European Journal of Vascular
and Endovascular Surgery and the Journal of Vascular Surgery.
Appointments:
Yashoda Hospitals, Hitec City.
For
more details Contact:
Mobile : 9391925929
Email :
drbhavinram@gmail.com